Mulching the potatoes

This is the old sunken Road

It belongs to us and goes along the side of our main field.

Normally I walk the dogs along it in the mornings. But right now you'd be hard pushed to even tell there is a road there.

So it was out with the scythe and down with the grass.

Scythes are still big buisness here in Slovenia. When we first arrived, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. And last year I used the strimmer for this job. But as you get to know a scythe, you realise it has a certain charm. If you are fit, it is as fast as a strimmer. If you are not fit, it's a great way to lose weight. It handles shrubs and brambles so much better. It costs less to buy and nothing to run. And on a beautiful summer's evening, it is so more pleasant without the noise and fumes.

Half way:

And the grass?

Everyone raves about mulching, and I can happily live without weeding, so it became mulche for the potatoes.

A very sucessfull start to the weekend.

Floating field or is it ghosts?

Our meadow has just been cut for hay.

And today we had heavy thunderstorms.

So the ground is wet and squelchy.

Nothing revolutionary there.

But it's a curious type of squelchy.

Not only does it squelch under your boots, but everywhere around you for 10ft. It sounds like people are following you.

And when you stop, the eerie squelching continues.

Can you hear the ghosts?

My first attempt at pancake art

I saw someone doing this on youtube and thought it'd be a really good activity for scout camp. So this was a dry run to see how it worked.

The first pancake would be best described as modern art. Here's some pictures of the second.

Before cooking

After cooking (topside) 

After cooking (bottom side) 

It actually looks something like the apple tree it was intended to be.

And the failures taste just as good as the sucesses (I tested that more than once, just to be on the safe side.)

Hay day

Cutting the grass with a lamborgini

Still going as the sun sets

Sparkles

Pippa went out it the field and got some stars for her hair today.

She got the placement a bit uneven on one side but not bad for her first attempt at being girly.

 But this guy wins for iridescent sparkles

Is he gold green or red?

Project chain - soil, compost, chickens and the fruit and veg garden.

This week has been a series of linked projects.

The ultimate aim was to get some seedlings planted.

But the chickens were currently occupying the ground I wanted to plant in. So first I needed to move the chickens. They had been preparing a patch for me -  digging and pecking and weeding. They'd done a good job, but were bored of the bare soil they had created.

But before moving them, I wanted to dump loads of compost on their propective new patch. Various Youtubers have had lots of sucess using chickens to dig in compost and it seemed a great chance to try this.

But there is already too much soil in this area and if I add compost, there will be even more. Luckily there is a rocky hole that needs filling by the drive. It's impossible to mow because of the rocks and would be so much better levelled off with soil.

So there you have it:

Fill the hole,

To remove some soil,

To move the compost,

To move the chickens,

To plant some seedlings.

There was an old lady who swollowed a fly.....

Step 1 Filling the hole

It's a bit hard to see a slope in photos, but top left there is a tree on top of the bank. In the centre there is the electricity meter on a mound. Then there is Allie dog on the drive. And hopefully you can see that the base of the soil heap and the area towards the bottom left corner of the picture, is lower than Allie. I need to strim the weeds in the hole and rake the soil heap level. It's not enough soil, but it's a start.

Side view - "aren't I being a great reference point, mum"

Step 2 Shifting the compost

One empty compost bin

Step 3 move chickens

 Here's the plot they were on. Pippa is pointing out where the chick mobile stood and Martha is pointing out the row of peas that was just outside their run.

 As you can see below, they've done quite a nice job of keeping this patch weed free. And yes, that's two dogs sniffing a chicken top left. She's not known as Plucky for no reason. It's really nice to see. At least I don't have to worry about chickens getting out or dogs getting into their run when I'm about. They're still dogs and Allie still thinks its funny to surprise them and make them flap so I won't be trusting them alone, but seeing as theyve had little experience of chickens to my knowledge, it's reassuring that no one's first thought is killing.

Here's the new run from the top end. This was my potato patch last year, so the state of it is a bit shocking. But the chickens love it.

Here's the same from the bottom end. Here you can see the heap of compost from step 2.

 Mmmmm. We're loving it.

Here's the whole garden from the top, in case you've forgotten it.

And finally, step 4: Erect tomato shelter and plant seeds.

(This was taken during a rain shower. Which was perfect for the seeds, but not so appreciated by an Allie dog.)

A very productive week for the garden.